That authenticity combined with her sexy confidence was a lethal combination. If Juliet wasn’t so into it, didn’t get to revel in it, she’d still be driven crazy by it.
Darcy shook her hands out, though, bouncing in place in a way that was… odd for her.
Juliet had now seen her perform multiple times. Only once together at rehearsal, but several times with Blythe and Emerson at different shows. This display didn’t quite feel normal.
She pressed her lips together, before giving in. “All right, nowI’llcheck in. Are you ready?”
Darcy’s gaze slid to hers, drawn tight. “Yeah. I, uh…” She rolled her shoulders back, loosening them. “I realized that Bill Hooke is going to be here for the tribute show tonight. He’s–”
“The host of Southern Static,” she interrupted, naming thehugelypopular station based out of Nashville; as if she possibly wouldn’t know who he was. “Yes, I am familiar.”
She’d done a lot of interviews with Bill over the years. Not a very pleasant man, certainly someone who thought a lot higher of himself than he should.
“Right. Well, he was the judge for a competition that Southern Static was hosting for aspiring musicians in Tennesseelast year. We got a spot in the competition. Made it into the final four, actually.” Darcy’s eyes narrowed, glinting at the memory.
Juliet already had a sneaking suspicion what she was going to say, and her stomach sank.
“He, ah, found me, after our last set. Grabbed my ass, then cornered me against the wall. And he made it very clear that the only way We, The Romantics was going to move forward was if I made it worth his while. That I should do it; after all, didn’t I care about my sister and best friend being able to succeed, too?” Darcy’s lips were twisted into a disgusted scowl as she reached up to drag her hands through her hair. “When I laid him out on his back right there in the hallway, he informed me that unless I was willing to use being a ‘hot piece of ass’ to my advantage, I’d never get anywhere.”
An icy-hot rage slithered through Juliet. This was far from surprising. Not only regarding Bill Hooke, but in general. Having a very muscular, well-known “boyfriend” and, frustratingly, Harrison’s very well-known name and connections had made it so that Juliet experienced a hell of a lot less of this sort of thing than most other people did.
But someone like Darcy, who came from nothing and had no built-in defenses at all,andlooked the way she looked?
Darcy blew out a long, low breath. “That’s when we decided to record the album ourselves. We’d been doing shows and competitions like that as much as we could, for years, and never got anywhere. So, we figured – screw it.”
“Well, you obviously figured correctly,” Juliet was surprised by tightness in her own throat, passion seeping into her words.
Not as surprised as it seemed Darcy was, as she slowly tilted her head. Her expression was vulnerable, before she clicked her tongue and turned to look off toward the stage.
“Yeah. But… you know, it made me feel a little crazy when you acted like I sky-rocketed to where I am right now withoutpaying my dues. Maybe I haven’t had to tithe to the industry like you have, but – you have no idea how much time and energy I’ve had to pour into this. It didn’t just happen overnight, even if that’s the way it appeared.”
Darcy’s quiet,hurttone lanced right into Juliet. Rocking through her with a strength she hadn’t expected.
And she felt… ashamed. In a way she hadn’t, before. Even after they’d gotten to a good place over the last month, she’d essentially felt like they’d called a truce. They’d both waved white flags, and moved on from their acrimonious start.
But their start had only been acrimonious because she’d been so resentful. And Darcy hit the nail right on the head.
“You’re right. You have paid dues that were a lot different than mine,” she acknowledged. “And… I’m sorry,” she apologized, meaning it more than she’d ever have expected to.
Darcy, obviously, felt the same. “I’m not saying this to get you to apologize to me.”
“I know. I wouldn’t feel the need to apologize if I felt you were using it as a tactic.” She swallowed, her throat a little tight. Itwasn’teasy for Juliet to admit she was wrong, or to voice her contrition. But she could. And… when it came to Darcy, who always came to the table with sincerity, she would.
“Well, I’m sorry, too,” Darcy apologized, bowing her head. “You might have started everything.” Her eyes glinted at Juliet, a bit of lightness edging in, in a way that Juliet hadn’t realized she’d really wanted to see. “But I went right for the jugular back at you, no hesitation.”
Wow. Julietdefinitelyhadn’t expected Darcy’s apology to soothe any raw edges still inside of her, but it did.
“You were certainly no slouch,” she agreed. Because Darcy never took anything laying down, and did often increase the volatility.
… which, possibly, Juliet liked in some fucked up way.
“Five minutes to places,” Mattie, the stage manager, called as she rushed by them.
“Thank you, five,” she and Darcy both responded, before Mattie zipped away again.
She turned back to Darcy, stepping in closer as she reached up and gently moved her hair back into perfect style, the way it had been before Darcy had dragged her hands through. She was careful to avoid the mic in her ear and the wiring, as she smoothed her touch down over her shoulders.
“Bill Hooke is a hack who wanted to be a musician and never made it. Andyou,” she stated firmly, moving her hand to cup Darcy’s jaw in a way she was becoming very used to. It gave her a rush, holding Darcy right there, having Darcy focus in on her. “Are far more than a hot piece of ass.”
